Little Ducklings
by Shade the Hero
Summary: 13 year old Cloud Strife just wants one day to himself, but as usual he never catches a break. Who knew so many things could change his mind and his view on family in a single day? AU and very Fluffy Update: Bonus Chapter added.
1. Chapter 1

_"I've got to get out of here. If I don't, I swear I'm gonna scream and probably make someone cry."_

Being the black sheep of the family is never easy, especially when you're the second oldest of five boys. As it was the eldest got the best of everything. He was stronger and could do whatever he wanted, which also meant forcing his younger brother to watch the three younger triplets whenever he wanted to do something by himself. Which was every single day. Today was no exception, on Sephiroth's part. But for Cloud? He had enough. He was going to spend today doing something _**he **_wanted to do for once. No matter who liked it.

The blonde had made it out the front door and was headed down the dirt path that led away from the Strife family home. Okay, it was going pretty good so far. No one had noticed him,...

"Big bruver!"

_"Shit."_

A young boy with short, chin-length silver hair raced to catch up with his older brother.

"Go home, Kadaj," Cloud called back without turning, knowing his brother would try to trap him with sad puppy eyes. It'd be much easier without eye contact.

"But," Kadaj whined, "I wanna hang wi-chu."

"You hang with me every day. Just once I'd like to be by myself."

"But, Sephy says you gotta watch us," Kadaj replied. There was a pout in his tone and Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Sephiroth can watch you guys for once, go play with him," Cloud told him as he kept walking, getting more annoyed as Kadaj followed a few steps behind.

The screen door slammed open on its hinges as two other sets of footsteps hurried to catch up. The blonde knew that the other two had joined them. He could just picture the scene behind him. Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz were probably following him in a straight line like a group of little ducklings would follow their mother. A few years ago Cloud thought it was cute, now it was just annoying.

"Go home!" he called to all three of them.

"Big bruver's angry," replied Yazoo

"But, I wanna play!" protested Loz who brought up the rear.

"But we're playing right now," Kadaj replied, looking behind him and smiling at his brothers.

"And what is that?" asked Yazoo.

Kadaj smiled as he turned back to face the front and tried to keep up with his older brother. "Choo choo!"

Loz smiled. Yazoo giggled. "I love that game brother."

"Choo, choo!" Loz shouted, making train sounds as they walked.

Cloud glared at the sky with an annoyed expression. It was all the thirteen year old could do not to pull his spiky, blonde hair out of his head. Two things kept his hair safe. One: He was the only one to inherit his mother's looks and Two: he was afraid it'd grow back silver.

"Yo, Cloud!"

Okay, there was a third reason.

A hand came out of nowhere to ruffle Cloud's hair. With a smile, Cloud turned to see his best friend.

"Hey, Zack."

"Looks like you've got quite the fan club. That or some ugly ducklings are following you," Zack commented as he glanced at the little silverettes. Kadaj stuck out his lower lip in a pout while Loz started to sniffle; hurt by the fifteen year old's words. Cloud was just glad he had stopped making the train noises.

"I'm trying to get rid of them," Cloud replied as he looked around. "You haven't seen Sephiroth, have you?"

Zack shrugged, "Sorry pal, maybe he's over by the creek bed. He likes to go there to practice with a wooden sword."

Again Cloud envied his older brother. Their father always encouraged Sephiroth to get stronger, practice and hone his fighting skills, especially with a sword. Sephiroth showed great promise to not only join SOLDIER, but make it to First class. Cloud wasn't given the same encouragement and it didn't help that he was forced to play baby-sitter all the time.

Kadaj tugged at Cloud's sleeve. "I wanna go now, I don't like puppy."

"Puppy?" asked Zack with an amused smirk.

"Dat's what biggest bruver calls you. He says you're a lazy puppy wiv' no chance of making soldier."

Zack knelt down and ruffled the little one's hair, much to his protests. "Well, guess I'll have to prove biggest 'bruver' wrong then, huh?"

Cloud smirked. He knew his friend would be able to make it no problem. Zack was anything but lazy and made squats look easy. Cloud had tried once or twice, but pulled a muscle after Loz jumped on him, thinking he was offering a piggy-back.

Zack stood back up as he gave his friend a sympathetic look. "Well, I gotta continue my morning run. Hope you can lighten the load soon."

"I hope so too,..." Cloud replied as he watched his friend take off.

"Catch ya later!" he called as he ran down the road.

Cloud tried one more time to get the kids to listen to him when he felt Yazoo trying to take his hand. Kadaj was still tugging on his sleeve. "Guys, go home. I promise I'll play with you later. I just want a break today."

"But daddy says you gotta watch us!" Kadaj protested.

"No, he said either me or Sephiroth."

"But, big bruver Sephy's not here. So, you gotta watch us." came Yazoo's pouty reply.

Cloud sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. We'll go look for Sephiroth..." "..._and then I'm gonna kill him." _he mentally finished.

He looked all over town, with the little silverette triplets in tow. A few minutes later Loz started making train sounds once again.

A few of the villagers looked at the scene of the annoyed blonde and his little followers. "Aww, they look like little ducklings." commented one.

"So adorable," said another.

Loz smiled as he started liking that idea better and began quacking. Yazoo giggled and began doing the same. Soon even Kadaj started quacking every now and then.

Cloud glared up at the sky. _"Why me?" _naturally there was no answer as he looked up at his namesake for answers.

They had traveled all over looking for Sephiroth and still had no luck. Yazoo smiled when he realized something while he and his brothers were quacking. "You know, we're kinda like the three duck bruvers."

"Who?" asked Loz.

"You mean Huey, Dewey and Louie?" came Kadaj's reply.

"Yeah."

"Then whose biggest bruver?" asked Loz.

"Scrooge." replied Kadaj. There was one thing that Cloud and Kadaj could agree on. Sephiroth was greedy, selfish, and didn't care too much about his family. He was always striving to please their father and didn't look out for his younger siblings.

"So, who am I?" asked Cloud. He still didn't like that they were following him, but the conversation was a lot better than hearing them making animal sounds.

Yazoo and Loz were stumped. Kadaj smiled as he pointed to his big brother. "You're Donald."

Cloud stopped and turned to look at his little brother. "Why Donald?"

"Cuz' you're always grumpy and you make funny faces when you get mad."

Loz and Yazoo burst out laughing.

Cloud wasn't exactly sure how to reply to that.

"And he has a cute pout," Cloud's face turned a shade of red as he recognized the voice that approached from behind. It was Tifa. She approached the little group with a kind smile.

"Ew, a girl!" replied Loz as he and his brothers hid behind Cloud to put something between them and her.

She ignored them and smiled warmly at Cloud who was struck with a sudden case of shyness. "Stuck with the little ones again I see."

"...Y-yeah." Why was it so hard to talk to Tifa? It didn't use to be like this. Not before he saved her life anyway. After that, he couldn't help but blush every time she was around.

Kadaj looked up and smirked. "Bruver's got a crush,"

Tifa giggled and Cloud's face turned a darker shade of red. He turned and glared down at his brother. "I do not!"

"Oh? what a shame," Tifa replied as she turned and walked away.

"Ah! T-Tifa, wait! I-I didn't mean..." he stuttered, trying to apologize, but she had already vanished around the corner. Cloud's shoulders sagged in defeat.

He knew he'd have to make it up to her...somehow.

"Good, I'm glad she's gone. Girls are ugly," commented Kadaj as Loz and Yazoo made gagging noises.

Out of anger, Cloud turned on them. "That's not true!" He glared down at Kadaj, "Why'd you say that?"

"Because keeping secrets is dumb," he pouted. "Daddy and Sephy's always keeping secrets. I won't let you keep secrets too."

Cloud sighed as he knelt down to be eye level with his brother. "Not all secrets are bad. Dad just likes Sephy more than he likes us." Remembering Kadaj was only seven, Cloud gave him a kind smile.

Kadaj's pout slowly turned into a smile. "Can you keep my secret then?" he asked.

"Sure,"

Kadaj looked around before cupping one hand to his mouth to keep his voice hushed, "I like you better than big bruver."

Again, Cloud smiled as rubbed the top of his brother's head. "I like you better than him too,"

Kadaj suddenly hugged Cloud, almost knocking him over. Loz and Yazoo joined in and together, the three of them knocked over their older brother. They all collapsed in a laughing heap on the dirt path. "We like you better too, big bruver!" Yazoo and Loz added as the older boy tried to sit up.

A shadow blocked out the light as Cloud looked up from where he sat. His smile instantly faded into a frown.

Sephiroth glanced down at his brothers. He wore a smirk that revealed he thought he was better than them. "The dirt's a good look for you,...Cloud."

The three younger boys stopped laughing and huddled together as Cloud stood up and glared back at his older brother. The sixteen year old didn't like that look. Even though Sephiroth was older and stronger, there was something in Cloud's eyes that made him seem more powerful, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

"What's the matter, Sephiroth? You're so quiet all of a sudden," asked Cloud in a confident voice. It became obvious, Cloud knew it too.

The teen with the silver hair that went down past his waist smirked. "Hmph, I was just wondering in what reality you think you ever have a chance of making it into SOLDIER? You have no sword skills and you fight like a girl."

Instead of getting angry, Cloud only smirked. He instantly thought of Tifa. She could throw a punch better than most of the boys in town, so being compared to her was more of a compliment.

Kadaj poked his head around from behind Cloud while still clutching his brother's pant leg. "Sephy, when are you gonna ever play wiv us?"

Sephiroth gazed down at his youngest brothers. They disgusted him. They looked like little copies of him, but far weaker and less intelligent than himself. They made Cloud seem like his equal in comparison.

"It'd be good to spend some time with them, before you leave for Midgar. I know your leaving soon for the SOLDIER exam. I heard dad telling mom about it," Cloud tried to convince his brother that it would mean a lot to the others. The thought of dumping them off on Sephiroth just so he could get a free day fell to the back of Cloud's mind.

Sephiroth grunted in response and headed off, passing them and nearly pushing Loz causing the boy to stumble and fall. "I don't have time to waste with brats."

"Sephiroth!" Cloud called to him with a glare, but the eldest Strife just kept walking.

Loz was leaning back on his rear, crying while Yazoo and Kadaj glared hatred at their eldest brother. Cloud knelt down next to Loz. "You okay?"

"Sephy's so mean!" Loz whined as tears continued to fall.

Cloud closed his eyes, completely agreeing with him. "C'mere." He turned around and held his arms out, indicating that Loz climb on his back. The little boy did so and Cloud stood up. "Come on, let's go," he told the other two softly as he made his way down a side path with Yazoo and Kadaj following close behind. Each holding onto the side of their older brother's black, sleeveless jacket.

As they walked, Loz wiped away his tears, but he was still sniffling. Cloud looked over his shoulder and tried to give him a friendly smile. "Hey, it'll be okay Loz. We don't need a bully like him slowing us down anyway,"

"But he pushed me!" the boy whined.

"I know, I'll get him back for that later," Cloud promised.

Yazoo looked up at Cloud as they walked. "Where are we going now, big bruver?"

Cloud smiled as he looked down at them. "I thought I'd take us fishing."

Kadaj and Yazoo smiled as Loz stopped sniffling. "Really?!"

"Yeah, really," Cloud replied.

"And we won't share any fishies wiv meal ol' Sephy either!" declared Kadaj.

"Yeah, we don't need him!" added Yazoo.

"Or daddy." added Loz, still riding on Cloud's back.

"Right, we're all the family we need," replied the eldest of the group.

"And mother," added Kadaj.

"Okay, mother too," replied Cloud.

A splash from up ahead got their attention followed by a voice. "You almost got it!"

Cloud knew that voice. He cut through some bushes and ducked under a couple low-hanging branches, being careful not to let them hit Loz. As he came to the creek he smiled when he saw his two friends already there.

Zack was trying to catch a fish with his bare hands while Tifa was tying some wire to a fishing hook.

Zack looked up after giving in from a third failed try. That's when he saw Cloud approaching and waved. "See Tifa? I told you he'd be here."

"Sorry I'm late."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Zack replied as he glanced down at his friend's extra party. "I see you couldn't find Sephiroth."

Kadaj was about to reply when Cloud beat him to it.

"I decided I wanted to spend some time with them."

"What changed your mind, if you don't mind my asking," asked Tifa.

"Why should Sephiroth get to spend time with them? He's way too busy trying to play soldier."

Zack raised an eye brow. "Don't you want to be in SOLDIER too?"

"I do," Cloud replied, "but, what's the point if it means ignoring your family? These guys are more important."

Kadaj looked up at his big brother and for the first time, let tears form in his eyes. He wasn't a crier like his brothers, but what Sephiroth said hurt him just as badly if not more. Cloud took that pain away.

The group turned to look at the water as the fish that Zack had tried to catch leaped into the air as if taunting them.

Zack punched his fist into his other hand. "O-kay. This guys mine." With a holler, the energetic boy jumped into the water right on top of the fish.

Cloud set Loz down while Tifa handed out fishing lines to Kadaj and Yazoo and saved the best one for Loz. She then sat on the water's edge as Cloud sat next to her.

"Zack! You gonna scare all da fishes away wiv yer splashin'!" called Kadaj as the brothers tried catching little minnows. Loz squealed in delight when he caught a frog who had tried to eat his bait. "Silly froggy, let go! You're not a fish!"

Cloud gave a low, amused chuckle until he noticed Tifa looking at him. that same shade of red he had earlier returned as he avoided looking her in the eye. "Um, s-sorry about earlier..."

"Forget it, I know you didn't mean it."

Cloud blinked in surprise. "Y-you do?"

Tifa laughed. "Oh come on Cloud, every time I see you, your face turns three shades of red. It's obvious you like me."

The blonde didn't know what to say, he remained silent. Tifa smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Cloud looked straight ahead as he face became an even deeper red. His mind was completely blank.

"Cloud and Tifa sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!" Cloud's mind snapped back to normal as he looked over at the creek. Zack, Kadaj and Loz were singing that ever-teasing tune. While Yazoo covered his eyes and looked away. "Ew!"

Tifa couldn't help but laugh. "You know Cloud, you're pretty cute when you blush."

Zack chuckled. "You should see him when you're not around. He never stops talking about you,"

"Shut up, Zack!" Cloud shouted, trying to save what little dignity he had left.

"Boy, Tifa can sure fight, wish I was as tough as her. She could make SOLDIER easy. Heck, she'd probably make First class in a year and send the other soldiers home crying," Zack continued, trying to imitate Cloud's voice in a dreamy tone."

This made Tifa giggle.

"That is it!"

Cloud leaped for Zack and began chasing him around the creek. He was going to kill him. Zack only laughed as he continued to run around the creek, away from his friend. "I jog every morning, Cloud. I think I can outrun you, pretty easily."

"Then keep running! I'll be right behind you every step of the way!" Cloud shouted back.

Zack stopped and smiled. "I'm glad to hear it-Oof!"

Cloud slammed right into him and the two hit the water with a loud splash. The fish that they had been trying to catch landed on top of Cloud's now wet hair, causing the spikes to lay flat.

Zack looked at his friend and the two burst out laughing. It became contagious as the other four were caught in up in the laughter.

As the sun began to set over the distant hills Cloud was walking back up the path with his three little brothers in tow. After saying goodbye to Tifa and Zack, Cloud was surprised when Kadaj gave Tifa a hug after she patted him on the head and then he apologized for calling her ugly before.

Loz was riding on Cloud's back again while Yazoo carried the fish.

Right before they got to the house Kadaj pulled on his brother's sleeve, causing him to stop. "T'anks for playing wiv us today."

Cloud placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "You bet, squirt."

They stepped inside the house and walked by their father's office. The door was open and Cloud could hear his father and Sephiroth talking. As usual it was about SOLDIER. Cloud rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen.

His mother just starting to get the vegetables ready. "Wait mother," Kadaj called to her as Yazoo held up the fish. "We caught supper!"

She looked over and saw the fish and smiled. "So that's where you boys were. I was getting worried."

"Sorry," Cloud replied, but his mother shook her head as she accepted the fish. "Why don't you three get cleaned up for dinner?" she asked the youngest ones as they nodded and headed upstairs.

She turned and began cleaning the fish. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I know watching them can be a real handful."

Cloud shrugged. "Not really. Today was..."

He thought back as he replayed the day's events one by one before looking at his mother who noticed his smile. she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him smile like that.

"...fun."

* * *

**_Well, for my first cutesy fic I think I did alright. Of course my dream last night helped. I should watch Advent Children before bed more often. x3 I wanted to finish chapter 23 of Saving the Lost today, but this was too cute to pass up_, plus I love Cloud friendship and family fluff. I never described their dad because it doesn't matter. Let's just say Sephiroth takes after him and leave it at that, m'kay? As for their mother, no. It's not Jenova or whatever Kadaj from the movie was trying to find. I chose her to be Cloud's mother because she just seemed like the type of mother everyone would love to have. Unless you have a sweet, kind mother just like her then you know what I was getting at. **

**There is also some Disney references in here, but it doesn't have anything to do with Kingdom Hearts. I just thought it'd be cute to throw in. Also, the Strife home and town closely resemble Edward Elric's home in FMA: Brotherhood. It just gave it a better atmosphere imo. **

**I'm going to credit Zack's teasing song moment to FF member: LastOrder1. There's a moment where Zack is teasing Cloud in one of their stories and I couldn't help myself, I had to use it, but I made it a little different. Credit for that little scene goes to them. (I'll change it if you want me to, LO1.) **

**By the way, I highly recommend reading their stories. Especially "Fight for Freedom" and its will not be disappointed. :3  
**

**_This story's theme is "From the Heart" by X-Ray Dog. Such a sweet melody, it fits especially well towards the end. _**


	2. Bonus Chapter

_I never expected this to get such positive feedback or for anyone to like this little alternate universe. I adore the little remnants and wanted to announce something special while giving you a little extra insight into their world. The announcement is at the end so, enjoy the Bonus Chapter. _

* * *

_Bonus Chapter_

_Kadaj's Report_

A few days had passed since and school was back in session. Kadaj wasn't looking forward to it because they had been given an assignment to do over break. Loz and Yazoo had finished theirs about a week into the break, but for Kadaj it wasn't that easy. In fact, he had put it off until the night before.

In a classroom of twenty-three students it wasn't as easy to blend in as one would think. Only he and his brothers had silver hair, the teacher would most definitely notice him no matter what he tried to do to hide. Three students had read their report aloud to the class before Yazoo was called up. He wrote about what he wanted to be when he was older, because he had found out what he was good at. It wasn't hard to guess. Yazoo was an excellent shot with anything. Paperclips, spit-wads, sling-shots, home-made arrows - anything. He wrote how he wanted to be a sniper and work for Shinra, maybe as a top-ranking assassin who worked alongside the SOLDIERs or Turks, but not taking orders from them.

Kadaj, knew why. It'd mean he'd have to take orders from their eldest brother one day. Something the three of them had refused to do, especially after the incident that happened over summer break.

Just before leaving for Midgar, Sephiroth showed his true colors. He called his three youngest siblings pests and told them the only useful thing they could do for shinra was provide them with new lab rats. Kadaj hated Sephiroth. At first he thought about writing that for his report, but then he'd get an earful from his father and who knows what other kind of punishment. Kadaj didn't feel like getting mentally abused by both his eldest brother and his father in one week.

Two more students were called up before it was Loz' turn. His report was about the animals he had seen over the summer break and that he wanted to work with them when he got older. That didn't surprise Kadaj as he remember how much fun Loz had when he was trying to catch a fish, but ended up making friends with a frog.

Four more children were called up, allowing Kadaj to finish writing his report on the spot. He knew what he wanted to write now and was pretty pleased with it by the time his named was called.

Stepping up to the front of the classroom, the silverette became nervous. He wasn't a fan of crowds, big or small. He could handle five or six people with no problem, but anymore than that was a bit too much for him.

"Well? Go ahead, Kadaj. What did you learn over the summer?" asked the teacher, urging him on.

Kadaj bit his lower lip as he looked around the room. He was stuck and started to panic, until something yellow caught the corner of his eye and he remembered the talk he and his other older brother had the previous night.

_"But, I..I don't like crowds. What if I get nervous and can't do it?" asked Kadaj as he lowered his head in shame._

_"I don't like big crowds either," the blonde admitted. _

_"Really, but how do you deal with them, then?" _

_"That's the easy part," he replied with a small smirk. "Your classroom has a window, right?" _

_Kadaj nodded. _

_"Then all you have to do is picture people you care about watching you from the window and tell yourself that they're the only ones watching."_

_"Does it work?"_

_"It works for me," replied the blonde._

_"Can I imagine you?" asked Kadaj. _

_"Sure."_

_The blonde ruffled his brother's silver hair before heading off to bed._

Kadj looked up from his paper and over to the window. Sure enough, he could see his 'big bruver' watching him with an encouraging expression on his face. The silverette instantly relaxed and began.

* * *

"Over the summer, I learned a lot about my family. My mother is and always will be very special to me. My brothers Loz and Yazoo are always fun to play with and I'm happy to have siblings my own age. My father is very strict and sometimes he's mean after talking with my eldest brother. Sephiroth was never nice, but this summer he got real mean when he left for Midgar. He wants to be a SOLDIER and as much as I don't like him, I know he'll be one of the best."

Kadaj stopped for a minute as he glanced up, making sure his imagined brother was still there.

"I want to join SOLDIER too, but not because of Sephiroth. I want to join because it's my other brother's dream. Cloud is the only one of us with blonde hair, but that's not what makes him special. He's special because he actually cares about us. Me, Loz and Yazoo. He hung out a lot with us this summer when Sephiroth was no where around. That was special because he had other friends to spend time with, but instead of leaving us behind he let us tag along."

"I didn't like Zack or Tifa, because they were older and I thought they were always trying to keep big brother away from us. I blamed them, but I found out that they're really nice and Zack is funny. He makes big splashes where ever he goes and Tifa always makes my brother blush. Before that day, I didn't know my brother's face could change colors."

Yazoo and Loz snickered at the memory, but the teacher hushed them.

"He stood up for us when Sephy was mean and even gave Loz a piggyback. He took us fishing and made Yazoo's slingshot. He's very good at making things and also drew me a sword with two blades. I want to have a sword like that one day and use it to help him fight when we both make it into SOLDIER because I want to help him be the best. Even better than Sephiroth."

Kadaj looked up at the class and smiled.

"Because my big brother Cloud showed me what's really important. Family always comes first and I want to help him reach his dream of being the best SOLDIER ever."

* * *

Everyone in the room applauded, even the teacher clapped along. "Very good, Kadaj. I can see you learned a lot. I'm sure you'll make a good SOLDIER."

Kadaj smiled, "Not as good as Cloud."

He looked back over at the window, but the image of his brother was gone. Kadaj was a little sad, but it had helped him get past his nerves. He sat back down next to Yazoo and Loz who both promised to help him make sure Cloud was better than Sephy. Another student stood up and made her way to the front of the class.

Outside of the classroom, leaning against the wall Cloud was unable hide his smile. He wouldn't start school until the following week and found himself bored with Zack gone and Tifa busy helping her dad. Out of boredom he remembered that his brother would be reading in front of the class today and wanted to help ease his fears a little.

He never expected to be surprised or feel as proud as he was right now. Kadaj really looked up to him, a lot more than he realized. Now Cloud was more determined than ever to make SOLDIER and to prove Sephiroth wrong. Cloud knew he had everything going for him. Sephiroth may be stronger, but he was constantly pressured by their father. Cloud didn't have that pressure, only support. Support from his mother, his friends and his younger siblings. He had everything he needed.

Shoving his hands into his pockets Cloud began to head down to the creek bed and start his own training. He needed to start building up his stamina. Getting into SOLDIER wouldn't be easy, but he'd give it his best shot.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Announcement Time: Because several people have requested it, I am going to write an on-going story for this universe. I'm going to keep it separate from this one though. So keep an eye on my stories for a Sequel. Not sure what to call it yet, I still have to work out a solid plot, but it will pretty much pick up where this leaves off, it just may pick up a few months ahead? not much though. Hope you all liked the bonus chapter and I look forward to writing the new sequel. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and kind words. ^_^  
_

_Poll has been set up on my profile, go and vote on what time-line you'd like to see for the sequel. ;)_


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